A day with Manual

After meeting the modern day Christs, Manual appeared to be a little bit worried. His spirits ebbed and may be because of that they had to spend a long time to find the next person. Manual became more and more uneasy with the passing of time. He was so much in despair that he said once, mankind is so lost in arrogance and evilness that they will fail us. But before he was lost in utter despair, they succeeded in finding the sixth person. It was John’s word about doctors that helped them.

They found Dr.Tony in a slum on the outskirts of a city. There were countless houses there, if one could call the structures with four walls with an asbestos, or tin or a plastic sheet covering it on top, houses.  Contrary to Litha’s fear to find foul-smelling galleys and drainages they found tidiness everywhere.

Manual led her to a one room house. They saw a cholera patient lying on a mat on the floor and an young doctor nursing  him. Manual got ready to converse with the doctor. Before he could talk he heard the doctor mumbling to himself.

“Tony, What’s this?”  They heard him saying. ”You are a bloody doctor. How can you feel sleepy when your patient is so critical. Please Tony don’t sleep now.”  He got up and paced across the room. Before long he was found lying on the floor, asleep.

“Doctor, we won’t take much time.”  Manual comforted him. “When I am here nothing untoward will happen to your patient.”

“His life is now in my hands. You should remember that.” Tony’s mind was still on his patient.

“I proceed from the Father in heaven, that big doctor in whose hands lie the lives of every living being that breathe through its nostril. Be not afraid. Nothing will happen to him, have peace of mind and talk with me.”

The doctor looked at Manual and found him saintly, and became ready to talk to him.

“Who are you?  Do we know each other?”  He asked Manual.

“I knew you before but you didn’t know me.” said Manual in reply. “Now you know me but the world doesn’t know me yet. Now I am with you and in you. I’m Manual.”

“You sound pretty weird.”

“Like I’ve taken spirits.” said Manual laughing. “No, no, I didn’t mean that.”

“Anyway let’s come to the point,” said Manual. “Tony. You’ve passed out from a prestigious medical school. Yet you are in this slum and that too with peace of mind and satisfaction. I find it pretty weird”.

“ Thank you, Manual,” replied Tony. “Thank you for not writing me off as a failure. My friends and relatives have done it already. What’s life without wealth, pleasure and luxury, that’s their question. But I believe in doing that what gives us happiness, peace and satisfaction. I believe in sharing freely what I got from that big doctor free of cost.”

“That’s a very noble attitude.”  Manual showed his appreciation. “But won’t it be better if you practice in some good hospital and avail these people better treatment at low cost?”

“May be,” replied the doctor. “but then patients like this may not get any treatment at all. See this patient, he will be cured in my one-room, no bed hospital.”

The doctor was lost in thought for a while and he smiled at some old memories. “You know, this man had tried to beat me accusing that I’d come to convert people. I haven’t  tried to convert anyone though I often talk about the love of God. It’s a big relief to the patient, irrespective of his religion, to know that there is someone to love him. That is a much stronger medicine than what I prescribe.”

He paused and cast a look at the patient and continued. “Do you know what he told me just now, that I was his God, whom he can see.  I told him that I am just an instrument to let the true God fulfil his plans on earth. His eyes welled up when he heard it. He is thankful to me for saving his life.”

“Tony, you make a lot of debtors by lending service, care and love to many who are unable to return it. None of your debts will remain unpaid.” Manual said in a pleasant voice.

“They are repaying me by expressing their gratitude in words and they return my love by listening to my words. When cholera broke out I instructed them to keep the surroundings clean and tidy. When they were educated on the importance of cleanliness they took up that duty. Pickpockets and moonshiners and sluts have chipped in their savings to construct public toilets. Now they are using it. They are all illiterates and now I am going to focus on making them literate,”

“Are the people staying here pickpockets and the like?”  asked Litha who was silent till then.

“Tony, I forgot to introduce her,” said Manual, “Meet Litha, she is with me now.”

“Litha, good name.  You look like an angel.” Litha’s face blushed when she heard it and Tony continued. “Yes, the people here are not white collared or blue collared ones. But I was able to relieve some of them from the gutters.  We started a stitching center and many women are freed from their trade. A chappal assembling unit that we started employs many men. I’ve some more projects in my mind. Some have the talents to assemble electronic goods. I’ve approached a company. They might respond favorably now that the tainted image of this area has improved.”

“You’ve made this place fit for living, that’s how I put it briefly.  Today not only the people here but the heaven is also proud about you.” Manual patted on his shoulder.

“I thank the Lord for letting me do all this. I pray for his grace to strengthen me to handle more responsibilities.”  The doctor stopped. One could see his face being filled with pride and happiness.

“I will also pray for you,” said Manual. He thought for a moment and said “Tony, I wish to hand over a duty to you. After four days a woman, Vimala, will come here, with pain in her stomach. She will be cured. Give her a job in the stitching unit here.”

“Vimala, who is she?” asked Tony.

“One who is important for heaven. She raises two mentally  challenged children and she has no honorable income.”  Manual added the new name to the list and Tony saw it.

“What is it that you are writing?”  He asked with curiosity.

“The names of the elected ones.  What couldn’t be fulfilled in Adam would be fulfilled in these people.” said Manual and went out with Litha.

The doctor woke up and said. ”Sometimes I see good dreams. How does one dream? What’s the secret behind it?” He then turned his attention to that patient who was now writhing with pain.